Devolution provides the opportunity for doing things differently and thinking creatively about how services can work together. However, implementation also brings its challenges.

This briefing explores the issues raised at the joint RiP and RiPfA Leaders' Forum in June 2016, which provided an opportunity for leaders to reflect on their role within the devolution agenda and consider the implications for children's and adult social care.

Understanding the role of effective early help in a local system of support for children, young people and families is vital. Local leaders need clarity about how early help provision is targeted to achieve impact and to know what difference it makes in measurable terms. Providing answers to these questions requires a system-wide approach to analysing local need; ‘SMART’ (specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, timely) evaluation of local services; and close monitoring of the impact of innovative early help approaches.
This briefing is a vital resource to inform local leaders’ decision-making through research and understanding of how to evidence impact.

Aimed at: Local leaders (such as elected representatives, chairs and members of local strategic bodies) seeking to lead effective early help in the face of reducing resources and rising demand.

This briefing considers the role of Local Safeguarding Children Boards (LSCBs) in evaluation and service improvement relating to safeguarding and child protection. It sets out factors that aid effectiveness and explores the key part that multi-agency case auditing can play in supporting this work. It also provides information and practical guidance to support the implementation of effective improvement work and audit activity to drive up the quality of multi-agency safeguarding.

Aimed at: LSCB Chairs, business managers and other stakeholders with a responsibility for supporting multi-agency audit.

This briefing develops understanding of the relationships between public health concerns such as domestic abuse; sexual health; neglect and poverty and the health and wellbeing of children and young people. It also identifies levers to support joined-up commissioning and service delivery in the wake of the transfer of public health responsibilities to local authorities.

Aimed at: Directors and commissioners of Children's Services, LSCB Chairs, Lead Members for Children and
Young People, Health and Wellbeing Board (HWB) members, Public Health colleagues.

This briefing is intended for independent chairs and members of Local Safeguarding Children Boards (LSCBs) and other leaders across agencies. It aims to provide a broad outline of key issues for LSCBs to consider in ensuring health partners can make an effective contribution to safeguarding through the work of the LSCB.

It is widely recognised that the impact of poverty on children can be profound and far-reaching; affecting physical and mental health, cognitive development and attainment – and, it follows, lifetime outcomes.

This briefing is relevant to senior leaders with responsibilities around children’s services - such as elected members, directors and senior staff within local authority children’s services.

This briefing is for local authority Lead Members for Children’s Services. It highlights key research messages about the different types of living arrangements for children in care, and how each can help provide them with long-term stability during childhood and beyond.

This topic is important because Lead Members have statutory responsibility (shared with all other Members) as corporate parents of children in care.

This briefing for councillors concentrates on the key research messages regarding domestic violence to support Lead Members to ensure that the local authority fulfils its legal responsibilities in safeguarding children and young people.

It includes key steps to developing a responsive service from commissioning, multi-agency working and strengthening practice.

This briefing for councillors looks at the evidence and research on early intervention.

At this time of severe financial pressure it is more important than ever to ensure that money is being spent on those services most likely to be effective in improving outcomes for vulnerable children and families.